1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to wireless carriers, Internet service providers (ISPs), and information content delivery services/providers. More particularly, it relates to wireless telecommunications and wireless portals for routing messages from mobile devices to Internet destinations.
2. Background of Related Art
Short Message Service Centers (SMSCs) deliver short messages through a wireless network. Typically they operate on highly valuable server platforms that are protected deep within a wireless carrier's network, and communicate via specialized protocols.
FIG. 11 shows a conventional gateway providing Internet access to a wireless network through a short message service center (SMSC).
In particular, as shown in FIG. 11, a gateway 900 translates between HTTP protocol messages from the Internet 190 and SMPP protocol messages to wireless devices in a wireless network 130 via an SMSC 120.
The gateway 900 provides a portal between wireless networks and the Internet 190. However, conventional portals between wireless networks and the Internet generally utilize either a proprietary operating system, or are developed to operate on a single operating system, e.g., WINDOWS NT™ or SOLARIS™. Moreover, conventional gateway 900 architecture provides a communication path between fixed protocol types, e.g., between HTTP protocol messages and SMPP protocol messages. Separate gateway application programming interfaces (APIs) are developed to communicate with other protocol types.
For instance, to allow communications between an application server on the Internet using HTTP protocol messages and a paging terminal using TNPP protocol messages, a new gateway API must be developed from point-to-point from the HTTP interface to the TNPP interface. This presents a tremendous amount of development work necessary to support new network elements, particularly wireless network elements.
There is thus a need for a more flexible gateway architecture and method which provides interface capability without the need for the total redevelopment of separate gateways to support different types of message protocols.